


Ammonia (A Trimedia Fic for 4/13)

by empty_battlefield



Series: A Slice of Sadstuck [12]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: 4/13, 4/13/17, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Chemicals, Cover Art, Digital Art, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Fanart, Happy 4/13! (Homestuck), Jake from State Farm - Freeform, M/M, Multimedia, Songfic, Substance Abuse, ammonia, dirk cheats on roxy with jake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 10:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10615317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empty_battlefield/pseuds/empty_battlefield
Summary: If Roxy Lalonde Strider were the mother of a happy daughter and the wife of a satisfied man, she wouldn't have to keep secret what she does when they leave her alone in the house.Non-sburb, familystuck where Roxy/Dirk are Rose's parents.Happy 4/13!





	

[](http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/emptybattlefield/media/roxy%20ammonia_zps0y5tydgo.png.html)

Mornings in the Lalonde-Strider house are certainly something. Rose is in her room. Her father, Dirk, is in his den.

And Roxy Lalonde-Strider—that's you—she has a place in it too. You suppose.

You tiptoe into Dirk's dimly lit den to send him off before he leaves to drive Rose to school. When you enter, he is tinkering with a machine of some sort on the table top, like always. You've long since stopped asking him what he's working on—since it exasperates him to tell you, and it exasperates you to listen, since he thinks you're too dumb to get it. 

"Hey Dirk?" you ask with a certain playfulness in your voice. "Rosie's out the _whole_ weekend at her school trip, hmm? Maybe you and I could do something fun?"

"Not tonight," your husband replies curtly. "Gotta meet with the insurance again. He says I'm not finished sorting out our policy." He says _policy_ as if you’ll never understand the meaning of the word. 

You roll your eyes, even though he can’t see it. "You mean Jake from State Farm?" you ask flatly, already knowing the answer. 

Dirk pauses. He tightens the grip on his screw driver before continuing. "Yes. Jake is his name, we've been over this. We are struggling financially. I’m going out to manage our family’s _finances_ , I hope that’s okay with you."

You let out a passive-aggressive huff. "If you wanna go spend the weekend with _him_ , just say so." It's not like you don't know that Dirk doesn't love you. _Anymore?_ When you think about the amount of times he’s went out to lunch with the insurance agent and the amount of times he’s went out with you—it makes you wonder if he ever did. 

Dirk gets up from the desk and tries to leave the room. He meets you and your crossed arms in the doorframe. He looks at you behind cold, stern shades. "Roxy, do not even go there. I don't have time for this. You're my wife, you know that. Now move away from the door."

"That's what you always say," you remark. "Now kiss me once before you leave."

"Roxy, I'm not joking around. I'm late. Rose is late." You reluctantly move away from the door, and Dirk nearly knocks you over as he bustles through. "Rose, cmon, we gotta leave in 10 minutes," he calls to his daughter.

"Okay."

You mosey on into your daughter's room. "How are you doing, sweetie? Excited to go to the aquarium?"

Rose is sitting at her computer like she always is, and she faces the screen, not you, when she talks. "Yes mother," she replies, "I'm ever so thrilled. I want to spend my weekend in a poorly ventilated building full of nothing but smelly fish and exhibits for kiddies."

You didn't expect anything but sarcasm. Rose is like that. "But you love jellyfish!" you continue fruitlessly. "You used to read all about them when you were a kid. It’s ironic that you're wearing that shirt, too."

Rose looks down at what she is wearing. "It's a squid. I wear this all the time, Mom, and it’s not _ironic,_ it’s _coincidental_."

You twist up your mouth like you swallowed a lemon. "No need to be rude, young lady. I know you're smarter than me. I didn't know, and now I do."

She finally spins around in the chair to meet your eyes. "Oh it's completely fine. Really. You wouldn't have any reason to know, it's not like you _raised me since infancy._ "

That one really _stung_. The sarcastic comments that are no use battling, you choose to ignore. If you don't respond to her, it's like they never happened. "Dad is waiting for you. Do you want me to carry your bag to the car?" you ask. 

"I can carry it myself."

You know she's a teenager and they're supposed to be distant—but you think that your daughter is somehow different. Mothers and daughters are supposed to end up best friends one day, that's what your friend Jane always says about her own all-grown-up little girl. You can’t help being jealous of them. But you couldn't ever imagine Rose liking you again the way she did when she as five. No—four. 

"Love you, honey, if I get home after you go to sleep," Dirk yells to you before shoving Rose's trim suitcase out the door. "Rose, say goodbye to your mother."

"Goodbye, mother."

"Bye guys! Have fun!" you yell back. You're surprised at how cheerful you sound.

The door shuts with a slam and a lock. 

Lyrics:  
Dirk’s off at work. Rosie’s at school.  
I'm home alone. Stare at the pool…  
eyes start to glaze—I'm off caffeine.  
To beat malaise I think I'll clean… 

Dust the pictures on the wall. Get up close inspect the faces.  
That doesn't look like me at all. Oh my goodness Rosie’s braces!  
I remember taking this in '92 I'm all aglow because  
Dirk is giving me a kiss—That's how I know how long ago it was. 

Leave the pictures in the hall  
Scrub a stain head through the foyer  
Ignore the black marks on the wall  
Caused by my daughter "The Destroyer"  
All those things that child broke  
those precious memories that we had  
I know she did it to provoke  
Cause she's exactly like her dad  
I take a breath I suffocate  
my house dress hurts my hands go pink  
I try to breathe I feel the weight  
Head towards the kitchen, towards the sink  
The cabinet underneath I grab the bottle, fingers shake  
To pop the top I use my teeth My heart beats fast I pulse I quake  
I pour the liquid in the bucket  
I breathe it in I taste it, suck it  
In my lungs it feels like woah, in my lungs it starts real slow  
And then grow, grow, grow, grow, GROW, GROW  
Oh, oh ammonia how you take the stain away  
Ammonia how you take the pain away, oh, oh ammonia  
Oh, oh, suddenly I’m laughing and I’m flying  
Nothings wrong and I’m no longer crying, oh, oh ammonia  
Oh… Ohh!! Whoo! Oh, Oh, OH!

Get a little bit comfortable now, off comes the dress, unhook my bra  
Rip a curtain off the window, yeah! That mailman likes what he just saw  
I breathe in, I breathe in, I breathe in, I don’t have a kid, I don’t have a spouse  
I breathe in, I breathe in, I breathe in, Aw shit, I love to clean the house!

Rip the pictures off the wall  
Plastic smile, hidden tears  
As soon as each one starts to fall  
The memory in it disappears  
And I travel back in time  
To happy days, to age sixteen  
Before I chose which hill to climb  
Back when the slate was clean, clean, clean!  
I breathe it in, the feeling flows  
I squeeze the sponge, my hand gets wetter  
Its almost like the liquid knows  
That it’s making me feel better  
I love it more than I love Dirk  
If I could marry it I would  
It drives me wild, it does the work  
It does what that asshole never could  
Oh baby make me feel so good…

Oh, oh, ammonia how you take the stain away  
Ammonia how you take the pain away, oh, oh ammonia  
Oh, oh, suddenly I’m gasping and convulsing  
I scream a squeal; I feel my body pulsing, oh, oh ammonia…

My daughter use to love me, she doesn’t anymore  
I wish that she could see me right now naked on the floor  
I’d make her look me in the eyes and give her this advice  
Every time you make a compromise, it comes at quite a price  
It sneaks up on you in the dark, and it always leaves a mark  
And no, no ammonia cannot take that stain away  
It doesn’t really take the pain away, oh, oh ammonia  
Oh, oh it isn’t really genuine elation  
Just temporary, sweet alleviation oh, oh ammonia  
Oh, oh breathe in it as hard as I can muster  
And suddenly I start to see the luster,  
Oh ammonia!  
Oh oh, suddenly I’m screaming and I’m flying  
Nothing’s wrong, and I’m no longer dying  
Oh ammonia…  
Oh, oh, la la la la la la la la la la la la  
La la la la la la la la la, oh oh ammonia  
Dirk’s at the door, Rosie too  
My day was fine, and how are you?  
Put back the bottle, but I feel no sorrow  
Cause oh, ammonia…  
I’ll see you tomorrow  
Oh, ammonia.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for viewing! I have uploaded ch 3/3 of birthday party as another 4/13 tribute, and the other individual 4/13 tribute can be found here (a non-a capella song called "Goodbye")  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUmSvO-Vxhk


End file.
